Sunday, 31 August 2014

CasCades, Great Views With Breakfast, Viceroy Bali, Ubud, Indonesia

CasCades, Viceroy Bali, Ubud

Cascades, Great Views With Breakfast in Ubud, Viceroy Bali

Breakfast at CasCades restaurant Viceroy Bali is a real
treat. Bequeathed with breathtaking valley vistas viewed from the open-walled
pavilion, fresh crisp air rising from the ravine and, a delicious menu of a
mostly Western essence, the stage is set for a fantastic start to the day.

CasCades, Viceroy Bali

I delight in the smell of freshly brewed coffee and aroma of
pastries hot out of the oven and, CasCades restaurant at Viceroy Bali gifts me
with both. Illy espresso based drinks are my kick-start of choice, so a flat
white with skim milk is my first order. Hubby’s pretending not to take caffeine
but is fooling no one with his pot of extra strong black tea ensured by double
tea bags.

Flat White and Carrot and Ginger Juice

Juices are squeezed fresh. Carrot and Ginger tickles my
fancy and hubby loves the Beetroot and Apple which reminds him of a Venezuelan
childhood favourite, tres en uno,
which also features the deep purple root vegetable. There are many others for
the choosing and you can create your own combo from the fruits and veggies
listed on the menu.

I toy between the idea of a seasonal Balinese fruit platter
or the fruit salad. The latter wins out in the end with the addition of ginger and
star anise promising to contribute a twang of wake-me-up flavour. A shot glass
of the dressing on the side allows me to adjust the amount of condiment to my
own taste. Overjoyed to see the Mango Trifle remain on the menu, it’s ordered
too. Whipped layers of yoghurt and mango puree are topped with rolled oats and
a minted cream yoghurt. Fluffy light and toothsome, hubby takes a spoon of mine
and soon makes an order of his own.

Balinese Seasonal Fruit Platter

Local Fruit Salad

Mango Trifle

The Baker’s Basket holds a selection of house baked
pastries: a buttery croissant; a cinnamon scroll; a star shaped Danish with a
fresh strawberry centre; and a delicious mini muffin. These are European style
recipes with good bite to each, plenty of butter and, a tasty flakiness.
Despite a generous portion served, they all disappear, not a taste of a crumb
remaining.

Pastry Basket

Hubby is forced to order the Balinese Benedict as it’s one
of those dishes that Kirsten and I have raved about for the past year. Poached
eggs sit atop yellow rice pancakes and are coated with a Balinese spiced
Hollandaise sauce and, finally crowned with dried Javanese beef. The grin on
his face suggests it was a good order.

Balinese Benedict

My main, Mediterranean Eggs presents steamed eggs on
organic eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and Italian plum tomato ratatouille
with arugula pesto. Two strips of green sauce mark the sides and in between sit
two round servings. Each is topped with crispy thin whirls of potato fries,
which hubby reaches over and polishes off knowing that I’m unlikely to finish
the chips.

Mediterranean Eggs

Yes, we ate that all in one sitting. I’m not particularly
fond of buffets but do like the option of trying a number of things on the
menu, so unlimited a la carte options offered by CasCades is a perfect
solution. The rest of stay we repeat orders of that divine Mango Trifle, but
try some new dishes too.

Hubby reports the pancakes with cream, maple syrup and fruit
coulis as a fine rendition of a classic. “Que
rico,” he continues as he adds another scoop of whipped cream on top, then
with one final murmur of satisfaction wipes the last drops of syrup from the serving
glass with the remaining piece of pancake ending with a declaration of, “Fantastico!” He too tries the Citrus
Crepes that have been infused with orange zest and filled with caramelized
strawberries and bananas, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with
chocolate.

Pancakes

Citrus Crepes

From the eggs section we try the Salmon Scramble topped with
chives and served in a filo pastry shell with deep fried pickled ginger and
smoked salmon. We decide it a terrific twist on the traditional recipe.
Cascades Omelette baked with Camembert cheese, ham and shallots, and sided with
a dob of cranberry jam, is just as satisfying.

Salmon Scramble

Cascades Omelette

We think we’ve sampled all that grabs our fancy until hubby
spies the Coconut Rice Pudding with vanilla and cinnamon at the very bottom of
the menu. In hubby’s words, “The only way to make rice pudding better is with
coconut milk!” My final taste is of Toasted Muesli with coconut, nuts and
yoghurt. It’s a lightly sweetened mouthful of crunch combining well with creamy
yoghurt.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Toasted Muesli and Yoghurt

With a great selection of scrummy foods and an unbeatably
peaceful and natural setting, CasCades restaurant at Viceroy Bali is a choice
place to start the day.